Amy has some news
On the heels of Michael Harper's tragic death, some bright news comes along to the Beacon Hill area, when Amy Smythe-Jablonski announces some great news. Also, Michael's will is read. All this on this episode of Harpers Falls. Scene One The Atchley Mansion. The Harper family is assembled there for Michael's will reading. A lot of speculation about the will was buzzing around the will and its contents. Everyone is there, including Sarah Ashton (played here by Vail Bloom, who had played her late sister, Natalya). WENDY: I am glad you are here, Sarah. I was sorry to hear about Natalya's death. SARAH: I am too, Wendy. Natalya was in New York and she was killed in a car-pedestrian accident. I am sorry you and she did not get along. WENDY: Nonsense, Sarah. Natalya was a nice woman, although she and I battled like cat and dog over Michael. He was trying to do what was right by her. That was always one of his best traits. SARAH: I know he did, Wendy. Whenever Nat and I talked, she always spoke of how wonderful his family was to her. He truly loved Natalya, and of course, he loved you. WENDY: How is Christopher? I am sure it's been tough for him losing his mother? SARAH: He is fine. After Natalya died, I had him meet his father. WENDY: How did it go? What is his name? SARAH: His name is Brad Diederick. He was someone that Natalya met while she was in New York. I know he is his father, but I admit I don't trust him. I am glad he said that I can help raise him. He's lost so many people around him. My mother, my father, his mother. I think he's really going to have a tough time of it. WENDY: Well, Sarah, you give me a call if you need anything, and I mean that. Anything. SARAH: Thank you so much, Wendy. (Enter Velda.) VELDA: Wendy, Ms. Ashton, time for the reading. SARAH: Thank you, Ms. Smithfield. WENDY: Thank you, Velda, we are on our way. (They go into the main dining room.) Scene Two Amy and Cody's condo. Cody is talking with his in-laws, Andrew Smythe and Clarissa Smythe. Her sister, Allison Bartorimo, is preparing some tea. CLARISSA: What I don't get is why Amy is not back yet? ANDREW: My dear, Amy had a doctor's appointment and you know that will take a while. CLARISSA: You are so right, darling. I should remember that. I recall what it was like when I was pregnant with Amy....! Andrew, you don't think?! ANDREW: I know about as much as you do, honey. CODY: I have to admit, I am more or less wondering. (Enter Allison, bearing tea.) ALLISON: Still no word on Amy? CODY: Nope. She took the T over to Mass General. CLARISSA: I forgot that it takes a while for her to get back and forth. (The doorknob turns. It is Amy. She is thrilled.) ANDREW: Princess, are you all right? AMY: Yes, I am. CLARISSA: What is wrong, darling? AMY: Mom, I am fine, I had a checkup. CODY: How did it go? AMY: I have some good news for all of you. Something you have wanted for some time, Mom and Dad. ANDREW: What is it, honey? AMY: I am pregnant. (The family is floored.) CLARISSA: How far along, baby? AMY: A few weeks now. I hadn't been sure, so I went to see Dr. Stevenson. She told me that yes, I am indeed pregnant. ALLISON: Have they said what the sex is? AMY: Not yet, Aunt Allison. It's still too early to be sure. ALLISON: Well, you know we are there for you. CLARISSA: And that brings up a surprise on our end as well. AMY: What is that? ANDREW: I have thought about it, and it is time that I downsized and move up here. (Everyone is shocked) ALLISON: Are you sure, Andrew? ANDREW: Yes, Allison. With you and Clarissa here, and Amy living here. I want to be close to all of you. I've made arrangements for Vestal Ridge to be made into a museum. I've sold the deed to the house to the city of Smythewood, and they have agreed to turn the mansion into a museum. It will be a historical museum for the city, called Vestal Ridge Museum. I think it will work out for all of us. AMY: You mean you'd move here with Mom and Aunt Allison? ANDREW: Yes, I would be. And I think it would be great. CLARISSA: We should be there at the Harpers to support them through this time. AMY: I talked with Astrid. She told me they are having the will read. They will have a dinner over at Hannah's later this week and we're invited to go there. Velda will be sending out invites tomorrow. Right now, they are in mourning, and they will contact us about the dinner. ALLISON: Amy's right. They will know soon enough. (The Smythes are reunited and are now in Boston.) Scene Three The Atchley Mansion. Camilla Abbott, the family's personal attorney, is reading the will. CAMILLA: My bequeathments are to the family as follows: To Wendy, my beautiful wife. You were a joy to me and a beauty to my heart and life. I bequeath to you our townhouse. If you wish to sell it, then that is your call, but the house is yours. I know you want to be there to share it for whomever needs it. If that is what you need to do, then you have it. To Dylan Michael Harper, my beloved son. No matter what anyone else says, especially your Aunt Erica, you are without a doubt a Harper. You have that Harper spirit and can-do attitude, and you have always made me proud. My gift to you is my shares of Harper Industries preferred stock, and my position as Chairman of the Board. Only you, Adam, Eric or Barry can fill that seat. You will also be assigned as Co-CEO along with your Aunt Michelle and/or her daughter and your spiritual twin sister, Sheila. To Hannah Atchley, my beautiful adopted daughter, your gift from me is the deed to your mansion. I talked with Craig before I had my heart attack, and we agreed that the ownership of the mansion be transferred from him to us. As of now, you are now the owner, you and Craig, of the Atchley Mansion. HANNAH: Craig, you did that? CRAIG: Yes, I think that is what your dad wished. CAMILLA: To my former wife, Natalya Ashton, or her sister, Sarah Ashton. Natalya, I have sworn to never have forget you and your son. For even in the short time that we were married, we were a family. Before I had my will made out, I talked with Wendy, and she told me that I could do this. I am bequeathing to you and your son, a total of $100,000 which will be given as a stipend for you and your child every month. The money will be continual, and Wendy will be overseeing this. Should Natalya have passed away, I am asking her sister, Sarah Ashton, to oversee the money for her nephew. (Sarah is stunned, and she and Wendy hug, with tears in Sarah's eyes) SARAH: Thank you, Wendy. WENDY (hugging her new best friend): You are so welcome, Sarah. CAMILLA: To Rose and Mark. I have bequeathed my personal effects to you and yours. My monetary assets are to be split evenly among you, Dylan, Hannah, Eric and Barry. All five of you are getting $5 million; while Wendy is getting $5 million as well. The rest of my personal assets are set aside as trust funds for Alexander Jacob Harper; Margaret Marie Harper Atchley; Derek Jonathan Asbury Harper and Ashley Marie Asbury Harper. I swore when I died that my family will be cared for, and they will be. To Angela Mercier, my first and true love, I bequeath to you my personal jewelry collection that I had received from my mother. It had been Shelby's when I married her, but they truly and rightly belong to you. To my twin sister, Michelle, I bequeath to you, my post of Co-CEO. As I said, I wish that Dylan be appointed to that role, but I also want you to have your daughter, Sheila appointed as well. Our fraternal twin bond lives on in our two children, and they will carry the company to its best heights. MICHELLE: If I may interrupt a moment, Camilla. I wasn't sure on how to say this anyway, but with the stipulations that Michael had in his will, it made it more easy for me to do this. I am retiring as CEO of Harper Industries, effective immediately. With this announcement in Michael's will, I am in agreement that there is time for new blood in the Harper Industries heirarchy. So, as of this moment, I would like to ask my nephew, Dylan and my daughter, Sheila, to come forward please. (Astonished, Dylan and Sheila go up front where Michelle is waiting.) DYLAN (whispering): What is going on? SHEILA (whispering): I think we're getting our due. (Hand in hand, the two cousins go up to a smiling Michelle, who puts her arms around them.) MICHELLE: Family, and friends and associates, I present to you, our NEW Co-CEO's of Harper Industries, Dylan Harper and Sheila Watkins. (The family applauds. Even Camilla is pleased.) DYLAN: I thank you for this opportunity, Aunt Michelle. I will make you proud, and Dad, I will do this well for you. SHEILA: Thank you, Mom, for this opportunity. We will not let you and Uncle Michael down. MICHELLE: I have no doubt that you will do well. And Michael and I are already proud of you. You two are the spiritual embodiment of the bond Mike and I had as brother and sister. Although you two aren't siblings, you are as close as if you were. SHEILA: Thank you, Mom. DYLAN: Thank you, Aunt Michelle. (Camilla smiles as the two cousins hug Michelle and then go down to their seats.) CAMILLA: There is a bit more here, everyone. To Barry Harper and Eric Harper, two sons I adopted at the final part of my life. Along with the five million you already have, the two of you will be working in a new division of the company that Michelle and I had begun, but with your help, I hope can be seen to fruition. It's called Harper Investments. I trust that you two can do well with it. BARRY: We will, Dad. ERIC: Yes, we will, Dad. CAMILLA: The rest of my family will divide the sale of the assets that are left over. The rest of my shares in Harper Industries will be divided equally among Aaron Harper and his wife, Marta; Jason Harper and his wife, Sandra; Veronica Harper and her wife, Adrienne; Samantha Bennett and her husband, Steven; and Michelle and her wife, Sydney. As for their children, David Macquarie Harper; Jennifer Harper and Violet Harper; Shawn Hartselle Harper and Audra Donnellson Harper; Joanna Niewoehner; Cara Niewoehner; Anyssa Harper Forson; and Susannah Lucas, all of you have been issued Harper Industries stock of 15%. Those shares are voted on as you wish to see fit. I have one thing to state. I am sure Erica Harper is wondering why I haven't said anything about her. Well, because there is NOTHING to be said to her. She will receive NOTHING! Whatever shares she would have had were rescinded when this will was made out. Her shares will go to her daughters, Joanna and Cara. Erica gave nothing to this family but heartache and misery, and she will receive that back in kind. To the people who worked for me over the years, you will be taken care of as well. Velda, our lovely social secretary, you are family to us, for your love for us over the years and we cannot live without you. You will receive a $500,000 bonus for all you've meant to us over the years. That will be a continual one for life. Also, you will live with the rest of the family for the remainder of your life. You are family. Unlike Erica, you always put your adopted family first. You are one of the good ones. All the remaining house staff have received a farewell bonus of $100,000. I have also had my attorney, Camilla Abbott, establish a scholarship at all post-secondary Universities and Colleges here in Greater Boston in my name, for their business schools. The Harper name will be long-lived, without question, and I hope that this will be carried out. (The entire family is quiet. There are tears flowing in some cases. But it was clear that Michael's wishes will be carried out. Sheila and Dylan are talking with Michelle about the transition of them becoming the new CEOs of Harper Industries. Wendy is talking with Anyssa's sister, Susannah.) WENDY: I know you and Ellen are happy in Somerset, and that is where your home is. But I have always felt bad that you don't have a home of your own that you can own here in Boston. Well, Michael bequeathed our townhouse to me, and I want to give it to you. SUSANNAH: Wendy, you don't have to do that. WENDY: I want to. I am moving in with Dylan and his family across Louisburg Square. I can't live in that house on my own. I think it would be a nice place for you, Patrick, and Ellen. You can at least have a home of your own here in Boston, and come up here to your own home on occasion. SUSANNAH: That is true. But with me in Somerset most of the time, how could I maintain it? (Enter June.) JUNE: That is where I come in! WENDY: Yes, I talked with June. Her 'boys' are going to keep the place maintained and when you aren't here, they will take care of the place, and have it lived in. The furnishings can be changed, as you wish them to. JUNE: We knew that you would be in Somerset a great deal of the time, and whatever changes we make, we will make sure you are told. SUSANNAH: Thank you. Both of you. WENDY: Of course, your folks are welcome too. We are so blessed that your family is a part of ours, due to Anyssa. SUSANNAH: You are a blessing to us as well, Wendy. Anyssa is someone who means the world to me. She and I will always be friends. And that will never change. (Susie watches as Ellen is chatting happily with Dylan and Adam. Sam and Lahoma are also there, and are enjoying the interactions between Ellen and the others.) SAM: We will also be glad to help in any way we can with the house. WENDY: I truly appreciate this, Sam. LAHOMA: Our pleasure, Wendy. I also know some decorators in Oklahoma City, if you are interested, Susie. SUSANNAH (giggling): A bit of a touch from home, eh? LAHOMA (smiling): Guilty as charged. (The Harpers stay behind and chat while Camilla closes her briefcase, smiling. She raises a glass to the late Michael.) CAMILLA: To you, Michael Harper. Say hello to Aunt Denise for me. (She smiles and wipes a tear from her eye. She watches the Harpers interacting, and she is blessed) Scene Four In MCI-Plymouth Prison, where Erica is again. ERICA: This is UNFAIR! GUARD: Shut up! ERICA: My brother died and you keep me here! GUARD: You know, your family want nothing to do with you. You tried to kill your own nephew to do an end run around probate! Then you broke parole by robbing Allison Wentzel. You have nobody to blame but yourself! (The guard goes off, laughing) ERICA: YOU STUPID BITCH! I will make sure you PAY for you locking me up in here! You and Allison Wentzel will pay for this! BET ON IT! I WILL DESTROY YOU! (Erica throws her pillow against the wall! And she begins to sob. The scene fades out, and then fades in to show pictures of Michael Harper over the course of the series, as the credits roll for the day.) Category:Episodes Category:Hall of Fame Episodes